Railroad-spike.



S. S. KEEN.

RAILROAD SPIKE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, 1907.

899,991.: Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

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RAILROAD SPIKE.

APPLICATION I'ILBD NOV. 13, 1907.

' 899,991. Patented Sept. 29,1908.

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SIDNIE S. KEEN, OF GOTTONDALE, ALABAMA.

RAILROAD-SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 13, 1907.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

Serial No. 402,001.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIDNIE S. KEEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cottondale, in the county of Tuscaloosa, State of Alabama,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Spikes;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in spikes, andmore particularly to a spike embodying such characteristic features ofconstruction as adapt it for use especially in connection with railwayrails.

In its general conception, the invention comprises a spike body havingan opening therethrough, and an auxiliary pin passing through saidopening at an angle to said spike body and having for its function toprevent the said body from working loose.

In connection with a spike of the above general type, the invention aimsas a primary object to provide a novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts, comprehending means for preventing the pin fromworking loose from the body and likewise means for reinforcing the bodywhen in use.

The details of construction will appear in the course of the followingdescription, in which reference is had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification, like characters of referencedesignating similar parts, throughout the several views, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a. spike constructed in accordance withthe present invention. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal sectional viewthereof, showing the manner of use. Fig. 3 is a detailed longitudinalsectional view illustrating by dotted lines the relation of thereinforcing head to the auxiliary pin, when the said head is bent byhammering. Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the auxiliary pin.

The improved spike is designated by the numeral 5, and is employed inconnection with a track rail 6 supported upon a tie 7. The spike 5comprises a body 8 rectangular in cross section and having at its lowerend a point 9 formed by tapering the ends of opposite sides of the body8 and at its upper end, a driving head 10. Formed integral with the head10, is a rearwardly extending reinforcing head 11 having its undersurface 12 disposed on a downward and outward incline and meeting theadjacent side of the body 8 at an acute angle, the inclined surface 12terminating in a pointed biting end 13. The body 8 is formed between itsfront and rear faces with an inclined hole 1 1 which tapers downwardlyand which opens as a groove 15 in the rear face of the head 10.Registering with the groove 15, is a similar groove 16 having aninclined rear wall 17 of the same degree of inclination as the hole 1 1.The auxiliary pin above referred to is designated by the numeral 18, andis of tapering form to fit conformably in the hole 14. The pin 18 hasits lower end pointed at 19 and at its upper end is formed with adriving head 20. Below the head 20 a transverse groove 21 is provided011 the rear face of the pin 18, the purpose of which groove willhereinafter appear.

The pin 18 is somewhat resilient and in use, after the body 8 has beendriven into the tie with its head 10 engaged upon the rail flange, thepin 18 is driven through the grooves 16 and 15 and the hole 14L as faras possible, so that its lower end portion projects inwardly of the body8 beneath the rail. It will be understood that when the body 8 is driveninto the tie the biting edge 13 of the head 11 takes into the wood andreinforces said body by preventing the same from working outwardly withrelation to the rail. After the pin 18 has been driven through the body8 in the manner described, the head 11 is hammered so as to bendclownwardly at a slight angle from its normal disposition in whichoperation, the lower edge of the groove 17 engages in the groove 21 andthus affords a positive means for preventing upward displacement of thepin. Such displacement is likewise guarded against in the event offailure to hammer the head 11 in the manner described by the tighteningof the wood fibers about the exposed upper end portion of the pin 18,such tightening occurring by reason of the wood fibers being wedged inthe space between the rear face of the body 8 and the inclined underface 12 of the head 11. The body 8 likewise, together with the rail,causes the fibers to tighten about the lower end portion of the pin 18.

It will thus be seen that the provision of the head 11, not onlyreinforces the spike 8 against outward displacement with relation to therail as above set forth, but in addition to this function, serves as ameans for guiding the pin 18 and for preventing accidental displacementthereof.

The invention is simple in its structural details, inexpensive tomanufacture and practical and eflicient in use.

What is claimed is A spike of the type set forth, comprising a spikebody having at its upper end a driving head and a head rearwardly ofsaid driving head and said body, the said spike body being formed with ahole oblique to the axis of the spike between its front and rear faces,said second. head having a groove in alinement with said hole, and anauxiliary pin for insertion through said groove and said hole, saidsecond head being adapted to be bent downwardly, so as to engage thelower edge portion of its groove with said. pin, as and for the purposeset forth.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

SIDNIE S. KEEN.

Witnesses S. C. VVEATHERFORD, J. CARSON.

